Saw-horse



Dec. 28, 1965 J, w. ow 3,225,865

SAW-HORSE Filed March 26, 1963 INVENTOR. JACK w. DOWNEY ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,225,865 SAW-HORSE Jack W. Downey, P.O. Box 6131, Tucson, Ariz. Filed Mar. 26, 1963, Ser. No. 268,139 3 Claims. (Cl. 182-155) My invention relates to an improved sawhorse particularly adapted for use in and around the home, but adapted for professional use if desired. Sawhorses are commonly produced in set-up condition, usually with the horizontal member comprising a 2 x 4 and the legs comprising a 2 x 4 or a 1 x 4 or 1 x 6 mitred to the horizontal member and reinforced by cross braces. Two such sawhorses as a rule, are usually employed by a carpenter to support lumber during measuring and sawing operations. When a mitre box is used it normally also runs transversely on the sawhorse as does the lumber being cut.

There are many small operations such as conducted by a home owner in and around the home in which a device generally equivalent in construction to a sawhorse is required. Sawhorses normally are not available for such uses, and certainly not two of them. The conventional practice is to employ any available support such as a box, a pair of boxes, a chair or any convenient available support for the board being worked upon. Sawhorses in general are not available around the home, not only because of the relative infrequency of the need, but also because of the fact that storage is always a problem, and normally it is not within the realm of good judgment to use two supporting units when one will normally sufiice.

The principal object of my invention is the provision of an improved sawhorse.

Another object is the provision of a sawhorse which may be stored flat and, if desired, suspended from a support in flat relation with respect to a vertical wall.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of an improved sawhorse adequate rigidity during use, but capable of being folded to produce a very flat package for storage.

A further object is the provision of a sawhorse adapted to support a piece of lumber in longitudinal relation thereto, and adapted to carryin releasably attached relation, a mitre box which thus forms a combination support for a piece of lumber or the like.

Other specific objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, taken with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a sawhorse embodying the features of the present invention with the parts in assembled relation ready for use;

FIG. 2 shows such sawhorse with its legs in folded relation to the body portion, the so folded sawhorse being suspended from a nail and disposed against a vertical wall;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view looking at the bottom, and at one end of the sawhorse of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view showing details of an attachment member;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken on the line 77 of FIG. 4, showing the connection between the leg brace and body portion, and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the combination of the sawhorse and mitre box.

The sawhorse of the present invention comprises a horizontally disposed body 10 and a pair of legs 11 adapted for support of the body portion in horizontal relation, or adapted to be folded fiat with respect to the body portion as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Both of the legs 11 are supported in the same manner at opposite ends of the body portion but facing, of course, in opposite direction. The detailed construction employed is shown in FIG. 4.

Cross blocks 12 extend transversely of the body portion on its bottom face near each end of such body portion. Hinges 13 have one part secured by screws to the cross block 12 and one part secured to the contiguous face of the leg 11. The usual hinge pins as shown cause the leg 11 to articulate with respect to the cross block 12 substantially at the corner edges where they come together as shown in FIG. 4; but the top end of the leg 11 (bottom end as shown in FIG. 4) engages the contiguous bottom surface of the body portion 10.

A diagonal brace 14 is dimensioned to fit within a longitudinal slot 16 in the leg 11 when the parts are in folded relation as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, but to engage diagonally between the leg 11 and body portion 10 when the parts are in assembled relation ready for use. A hinge 17 has one member screwed to the leg and the opposite member screwed to the brace 14. The hinge pin of hinge 17 coincides with the parting line between one end of the slot and one end of the brace 14 when the parts are folded as shown in FIG. 3. Thus the brace 14 is permanently hinged to the leg 11 and with diagonal position in FIG. 4 or a position within the opening slot 16 which is in alignment with the leg when folded as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. This arrangement makes it possible for the legs to fold very flat and in substantially parallel relation with the body portion.

The opposite end of the brace 14 carries a hinge-like bracket 18 with a single integral tubular portion 19. The bottom of the body portion also carries a hinge-like bracket 21 with a pair of tubular portions 22 between which the tubular portion 19 and bracket 18 engages.

A suitable pin 23 is adjustable to secure the brackets 18 and 21 in assembled fixed relation as shown in FIG. 7. A stop 24 limits the insertion of the pin 23 and may comprise a support for the pin when it is not engagement with the two bracket members.

The construction of the parts is such that the end of the leg 11 will be forced against the bottom face of the body member 10 and leg is forced the maximum distance outwardly when the brackets 18 and 21 have their tubular portions aligned for insertion of the pin 23. Thus the leg and brace are in firm unyielding relation to the body portion when the sawhorse is set up.

The legs 11 have top edges 26 approximately the same width as the body portion 10, but the legs flare outwardly toward their bottom ends Where they are shaped to form a pair of feet 27. The spaced feet 27 provide a stable support against an ordinary plane surface as of a floor, garage, concrete slab or the like.

Each leg 11 has a hole 28 and these holes are aligned when the legs are folded for receipt of a bolt 29 and wingnut 31 to hold the legs flat against the body portion 10. One end of the body has a hole 32 so that the folded sawhorse may hang on a nail 33 driven into a wall 34 so that it may be supported in flat vertical relation against the wall of a storage area and occupies very little space.

A mitre box 36 having the usual bottom web 37 and sides 38 is adapted to be secured to the top surface of the body portion 10 by means of bolts 39 which may have wingnuts (not shown) secured to the threaded shank of the bolts 39 against the bottom surface of the body portion 10. One of the bolts 39 may engage through the hole 32, and a similar aligned hole 41 is also provided as shown in FIG. 1. The mitre box has suitable transverse and diagonal kerfs 42 and 43 respectively to provide saw guides for cutting boards at predetermined desired angles.

The sawhorse of the present invention may be made of various materials and may have various dimension with in the scope of the appended claims. I obtained very good results and favorable sales response in a commercial product in which the body portions is 2 x 6 inches by about 4 /2 feet long. The legs are about 2% feet long or any suitable length to support the body portion at a height convenient for work layout, sawing and the like. Various materials may be used, but I have found Douglas fir and other such relatively softer lumber suitable for the body portion, with the legs 11 and braces 14 formed of S-ply plywood and having a thickness of about A of an inch. I do not, of course, limit myself precisely to any of the details shown and described.

I claim:

I. A portable foldable sawhorse comprising (a) a generally rectangular elongated body member in the form of a relatively wide board with top and bottom surfaces,

(b) a pair of legs pivoted to the bottom surface of the body member near ends thereof,

(c) each such leg having a top edge of approximately the width of the body member,

(d) each such leg having a longitudinal slot and being flared outwardly with its bottom edge shaped to form two feet,

(e) a brace for each leg disposed in said slot when the sawhorse is folded,

(f) a hinge connection between a top end of each brace and its associated leg permitting said brace to be rotated about its said hinge to place a lower end of said brace in contact with an under side of said body member, and

(g) means releasably connecting the unhinged bottom end of each brace to a lower surface of said body member to hold said brace in diagonal relation between the leg and body member with said leg sloping outwardly from said hinged top to bottom to stabilize the sawhorse when in use.

2. A sawhorse as defined in claim 1, wherein said legs have holes in mutual alignment when the legs are folded in overlapping relation, and a bolt member extending through said holes to releasably hold said legs in overlapping, folded relation.

3. A portable sawhorse comprising (a) a generally rectangular body member in the form of an elongated, relatively wide board with top and bottom surfaces,

(b) transverse blocks secured to'the said bottom surface near ends of the body member,

((1) a pair of legs each having a top end approximately the width of said body member and an outflared bottom end forming a pair of spaced feet, each such leg having a longitudinal center slot intermediate ends of the leg,

(d) hinge means attaching each leg to a transverse block, said hinge means positioned to cause a top end of the leg to engage said bottom surface outside said block with the legs in a slightly outflared position,

(e) a pair of brace members disposed in the slot of the legs with a bottom unhinged end and a top end hinged to a leg at a top edge of said slot, so that each said brace when aligned with the leg will lie in said slot in the plane of its associated leg, and

(f) means for releasably securing the unhinged ends of said braces to the bottom surface of the body member with said legs outflared to thereby produce a firm support for the body member, said means including alignable tubular portions at the unhinged end of the braces and bottom surface of the body member, and a pin projectable through said tubular portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 339,455 4/ 1886 Olmsted 143-86 510,858 12/1893 Hastings 108l60 1,191,687 7/1916 Gillett 144-286 X 1,465,947 8/1923 Oetzel 182-155 2,485,178 10/1949 Weinkauf 182l55 X FOREIGN PATENTS 671,519 2/1939 Germany. 874,946 8/1961 Great Britain.

DONALD R. SCHRAN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PORTABLE FOLDABLE SWAHORSE COMPRISING (A) A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR ELONGATED BODY MEMBER IN THE FORM OF A RELATIVELY WIDE BOARD WITH TOP AND BOTTOM SURFACES, (B) A PAIR OF LEGS PIVOTED TO THE BOTTOM SURFACE OF THE BODY MEMBERA NEAR ENDS THEREOF, (C) EACH SUCH LEG HAVING A TOP EDGE OF APPROXIMATELY THE WIDTH OF THE BODY MEMBER, (D) EACH SUCH LEG HAVING A LONGITUDINAL SLOT AND BEING FLARED OUTWARDLY WITH ITS BOTTOM EDGE SHAPED TO FORM TWO FEET, (E) A BRACE FOR EACH LEG DISPOSED IN SAID SLOT WHEN THE SAWHORSE IS FOLDED, (F) A HING CONNECTION BETWEEN A TOP END OF EACH BRACE AND ITS ASSOCIATED LEG PERMITTING SAID BRACE TO BE ROTATED BOUT ITS SAID HINGE TO PLACE A LOWER END OF SAID BRACE IN CONTRACT WITH AN UNDER SIDE OF SAID BODY MEMBER, AND (G) MEANS RELEASABLY CONNECTING THE UNHINGED BOTTOM END OF EACH BRACE TO A LOWER SURFACE OF SAID BODY MEMBER TO HOLD SAID BRACE IN DIAGONAL RELATION BETWEEN THE LEG AND BODY MEMBER WITH SAID LEG SLOPING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID HINGED TOP TO BOTTOM TO STABILIZE THE SAWHORSE WHEN IN USE. 